Graduate Office - Literature and Criticism Course Offerings By Semester

Course schedules are subject to change.  Please see Cathy Renwick for more information.

SUMMER 2005 SESSION I (June 6-July 8)

ENGL 784 Literary Theory Applied to a Major British Author or Theme: Shakespeare

Dr. Ron Shafer

M-F 1:00-3:00

(Ph.D. students only)

This seminar, centering on the plays of William Shakespeare, will invite the use of many theories.  The course will feature two major requirements: first, a major project—probably a

large critical paper—but other possibilities, including a scene enactment or a filmed version thereof, will also be encouraged. The critical paper should employ a theory of the student’s choice.  Second, because this is a seminar, students will be invited to teach a play of their choice, opting either for an in-depth analysis of an act/several scenes or a more global approach to the entire play.  Students will, to some degree,

negotiate the final syllabus, including the plays we read and the final version of the course requirements.  All genres of Shakespearean plays will be featured during our seminar: likely tragedies include Macbeth, Othello, Coriolanus, and Julius Caesar; possible comedies are As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice or Twelfth Night; possible histories include King John, Richard II, or Henry V. We will read Troilus and Cressida to cover the problem play/dark comedy genre.  As is obvious from this potential list of plays, the intent is to cover both the more and less popular Shakespearean plays, at the same time deepening our appreciation of both critical theory as it relates to the Bard’s plays and the rich cultural and historical context in which he lived and wrote.

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